Rory McIlroy tees-up in the Chinese financial capital this week looking to keep a ‘tsunami’ of cash flowing in the WGC – HSBC Champions in Shanghai.
McIlroy is returning to competition for a first time since the Ryder Cup and also since the massive monetary windfall in capturing the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship.
The current World No. 3 pocketed $US 11.53m (Euro 10.56m) helped by a $US 10m (Euro 10.06m) FedEx Cup bonus.
It took McIlroy’s earnings for the year on the PGA Tour alone to $US 25.8m (Euro 23.6m)
Rory McIlroy using a TaylorMade M2 driver for a first time in competition.
And ahead of teeing-up in Shanghai McIlroy was quizzed if the Tour had deposited into his bank account last month’s Atlanta earnings.
“I knew the winning had gone into my account when JP, my caddie sent me a text and said thanks, and I think his words were, “A tsunami just hit my bank account, so thank you very much.”
“JP got a nice percentage of that, so I knew at that point it was already there.”
But in the month since the Tour Championship, McIlroy has put a new TaylorMade M2 driver into the bag and this ahead of Nike pulling the plug on its golf equipment manufacturing business.
A decision to change drivers, and for a first time since signing a then 10-year deal with Nike in a huge fanfare early in 2013, comes also after abandoning a Nike putter for a rival Scott Cameron ‘Mallet’ putter.
Rory McIlroy has won two WGC titles and now looking to join Tiger Woods in capturing a third of four WGC crowns. (Photo – European Tour.com)
“The Nike announcement was good and bad as I felt bad for a lot of the employees that put so much time and effort into building really good golf clubs,” he said.
“From when I signed in 2013 to the improvements that they made year-in, year-out, until this year, were really good. I mean, I’ve had a lot of success with the clubs that I’ve played with Nike. So I felt bad in one way.
“But in another, it’s given me a little bit of freedom to see what else is out there. I’m trying out a couple of things this week. It definitely doesn’t mean that it’s permanent, but it gives me the freedom to go at the end of the year and try some stuff out and be in the position where I can use whatever in my golf bag that fits me 100 percent the best.
“So that could be a certain driver and then a different brand of 3-wood and a different branded set of irons and different wedges and different putter.
“That’s a process that I’m still working through. I felt like this week, after some of the practice I did last week in Dubai with a few different clubs, I would give it a go this week and see how it goes.”
McIlroy will be striving this week not only looking to win for a fourth occasion this year but add the third leg of the WGC Championship foursome.
He captured the 2014 WGC – Bridgestone Invitational and last year’s WGC – Dell Match-Play Championship and has a best of two fourth’s in Shanghai while he finished third in the 2012 WGC – Cadillac Championship.
No player is yet to win all four WGC titles and with Tiger Woods the best having won three of the four 18 times but is yet to win the WGC – HSBC.
“I’ve won two of these WGCs, and it would be nice to get another WGC under the belt and keep that run going,” he said.
“I know Tiger’s won like 18 of these things and with second place probably down around three or four.
“So if I could try and move up that list a little bit that would be great.
“I feel like I’m playing well enough and I’ve showed enough good form around this golf course before that I’m confident I can give myself a chance this week.
Yeah, another WGC and another one of those Wedgewood trophies would be very nice.”
